Enjoy starry nights in summer months

By Gary Raham
Nature writer

Our ancestors could enjoy the glorious display of stars at night almost any evening they wished. We moderns, cocooned in light of our own making, have to work harder for the same privilege. Perhaps that makes the unexpected flash of a meteor or a glimpse of Saturn's rings through a telescope all the sweeter for its rarity.

The Fort Collins Natural Areas Program and the Northern Colorado Astronomical Society teamed up in 2007 to offer a way for northern Coloradans to get reacquainted with the night sky. People continue to flock to presentations in surprising numbers, proving that nature still dazzles the curious mind.

Sky watchers will have several opportunities this summer and into the fall to learn how to buy and use telescopes, navigate by the stars, tour celestial wonders, and get humble before the immensities of the universe.

Last year the Perseid meteor shower put on a show early in the summer, but this year it will compete with the full moon, according to Deborah Price, natural areas program educator. Price said they had 80 people at events held on separate evenings at Bobcat Ridge and Soapstone Prairie Natural Areas. This year, they will watch similar space debris burn up in Earth's atmosphere during the Orionid meteor shower in October. (Presentations are planned for Oct. 21 at Bobcat Ridge and Oct. 22 at Soapstone Prairie.)

Other great programs will precede these events in July, August and September. Bobcat Ridge events include navigating by the stars (July 21), observing moons and rings (Aug. 25) and a "Size is Relative" program (Sept. 22) focusing on mind-blowing comparisons between objects terrestrial and celestial. These events are free, though registration is required.

A special StarLab astronomy program on July 16 requires both registration and a $30 fee, as each family will receive a Galileo telescope and laminated star wheel. (Call 217-3075 or email dprice@fcgov.com for more information.)

People also enjoy evening trail walks that are more focused on nighttime wildlife. The sky provides a bonus sideshow. Area residents can pick up copies of Tracks & Trails at natural area trailheads or download copies from the city web site (www.fcgov.com/natural areas/pdf/tracks-trails2011.pdf) for destination ideas.

Greg Halac, outreach coordinator with NCAS, enjoys his contacts with both new and veteran stargazers at natural areas events and other programs offered by the astronomical society. Forty dues-paying members share their talents with the general public for free.

"We never want finances to limit someone's opportunity to enjoy the skies," Halac said.

Several evenings stand out for Halac over the last several years. He mentioned the Perseid meteor showers and also thought the lunar eclipse in December 2010 was great.

"We had thin clouds in the area," he said, "that cleared for the total phase."

About 50 people turned out, Halac said, while 25 people is a reasonable turnout for most events, although he remembers a range from 10 to 300. He refers people to the NCAS event log for all the society's programs: http://www.ncastro.org/Admin/Volunteer.htm.

Because stargazing is a sedentary activity, Halac recommends dressing for weather about 20 degrees colder than the forecast. (Bring a winter coat, hat and gloves for temperatures in the 50s, for example.) He also urges people to bring binoculars.

"You can really see a lot with them," he said. "If you bring a flashlight, make sure the light is covered with a couple layers of red cellophane – white light ruins night adaptation and it takes 20 minutes to fully recover."

"Saturn and its rings are an amazing sight, and will be well-positioned for most of the summer," Halac said. He also recommends the high contrast views of lunar topography provided by the crescent moon, banded Jupiter and its moons, globular star clusters, and the magnificent star fields of the Milky Way high in the sky.

Timothy Ferris in his 2002 book, "Seeing in the Dark," provides a glimpse into the lives of both professional and amateur astronomers. Amateur astronomers, like amateur naturalists, can still provide valuable contributions to science because of their numbers, dedication and passion for the subject. Ferris interviewed amateur astronomer Stephen James O'Meara, who became well known for several observational discoveries either missed or dismissed by professionals. As a teen, he mapped the radial spokes in Saturn's rings that were believed to be optical illusions by professionals until confirmed by the Voyager photographs.

During Ferris' interview O'Meara said, "We're all star people, in the sense that we're all created from star stuff, so it's in our genes, so to speak, that we're curious about the stars. They represent an ultimate power, something we cannot physically grasp. When people ask, 'Why, God?' they don't look down at the ground. They look up at the sky."